When vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan was asked recently how fast he has run a marathon, the fitness fanatic didn’t hesitate.

“Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something,” he told Hugh Hewittin an interview.

Mr. Hewitt was impressed by the time, which would equate to running faster than seven-minute miles for 26.2 miles. “Holy smokes,” Mr. Hewitt said.

Mr. Ryan’s claim of such a speedy feat drew notice from Runner’s World magazine, which quickly pointed out that if true, Mr. Ryan would be the fastest marathoner to campaign on a national ticket.

Just one problem, as it turns out: It isn’t true.

Runner’s World scoured race results, seeking evidence that Mr. Ryan had indeed broken the three-hour marathon barrier. The search turned up only one marathon completed by Paul D. Ryan, a 1990 race in Duluth, Minn.

Mr. Ryan, then 20, turned in a still respectable but far more ordinary time of 4 hours and 1 minute. As Runner’s World noted, former President George W. Bush and former vice presidential candidates John Edwards and Sarah Palin all have clocked faster marathon times.

On the magazine’s web site, some commenters took umbrage at Mr. Ryan’s debunked claim, noting that marathoners take their PRs (personal records) seriously and aren’t likely to confuse a finishing time by more than an hour.

Mr. Ryan released a brief statement, saying that his brother had pointed out his error.

“The race was more than 20 years ago, but my brother Tobin – who ran Boston last year – reminds me that he is the owner of the fastest marathon in the family and has never himself ran a sub-three,” the Wisconsin congressman said. “If I were to do any rounding, it would certainly be to four hours, not three. He gave me a good ribbing over this at dinner tonight.”

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